Saturday, May 10, 2014

8th Bead Soup Reveal

Hip Hip Hooray!!! It's finally here! I can't wait to see all of the loveliness that everyone has made, I am always absolutely gob smacked when I go on my blog hop everyone's talent makes me speechless. I feel so honored that I am able to participate in these challenges. Do you every feel like you have been invited to the party but you don't know if you should show up because you are going to pale by comparison. I feel the love from this community because I have never had anything but support and I have met some wonderful friends in our wonderful community it is my own misgivings and insecurities that get in the way. But this is such a great time, I have missed the last couple of years and I didn't want to be standing on the sidelines this year.

Our wonderful host Lori Anderson of Pretty Things paired me with a fellow Canadian, my first time and I was paired up with a kindred spirit, Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things. Alicia sent me a wonderful soup, filled with beautiful goodies, 4 that were handcrafted by her very hands. If you didn't see what I received I have added a picture so you can see before all the simmering took place.

I had definite ideas about what I wanted to do with the large hammered copper leaf. I am a lover of long necklaces and I knew that the leaf would be perfect for something long, originally I was thinking that I would stick with the pink and plum tones but something felt like it was missing, I was looking through some of my magazines for inspiration, and I came across a necklace that had some plum and pink mixed with turquoise, and I knew that it would be a perfect accompaniment for this necklace. Of course working with copper always makes me happy happy!!! This necklace has been knotted with Irish wax linen, and I handmade a tassel in teal to accent the turquoise. I am not sure if I over did it by adding the Humblebeads Mum connector but I like the mix and I thought is complimented the colors that I used in this necklace.

My second necklace features the beautiful copper heart with the inland ruby stone, I wanted to go in a different direction with the heart and make the design delicate. I created a necklace awhile back by crocheting several strands with seed beads and I thought having a mix of pinks, with pink crochet yarn would make the necklace look soft and delicate and add some dimension of color as well. It was an interesting process to crochet 5 strands it took me three shanks of yarn and several failed attempts later to finally have 5 strands to create a necklace. I almost thought I was only going to have one thing to show for the big reveal. But I persevered and completed the 5 strands that I need and I reveal to you my finished necklace.

I have a bracelet in mind for my remaining beads that I would like to create to compliment my first necklace, I am hoping that I can get cracking on that this weekend if time allows.

I want to give a great big thank you to my wonderful partner Alicia, I loved my bead soup and I am very happy with my creations. I hope that you had just as much fun with your soup as I did, and maybe when you travel to Calgary to visit your sister some day with can get together and chat about beads!!!

Lori Anderson thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting on this bead soup, I know that you have been struggling with your health and this couldn't have been easy to due under the circumstances and I appreciate all that you have done for me and our beading community!! May you feel some peace and your health take a turn for the better.

Oh, my, Penny! First of all: I absolutely *LOVED* working with your soup. It get me so inspired and so in the mood, at one point I was trying to choose from 5 or 6 different ideas :) Second - I absolutely *LOVE* what you make! The leaf is softened by both the sweet pastel colours you have used (love that bright fuchsia linen) and the materials (the blue tassel is perfectly bringing everything together). And the crocheted strands for the heart, are just up my alley: that's how I started making jewelry, with beaded wire crochet :) Love everything, wonderful!

I'm really impressed with your work! I love how you used the heart clasp (that's so pretty!) and the massive amount of work that went into all those strands. I LOVE the collection of charms with the leaf!!! I like long necklaces, too!

Beautiful pieces. Great instincts on the leaf necklace. Turquoise is the perfect accent to the copper and purples. Of course, I could be biased because turquoise is my favorite color for jewelry. Great work.

I believe that adding a bit of blue to a design never hurts anything! So I'm all for the blue you added in that first necklace. As well, the mum connector looks great too me. I really like the flow of the whole thing. And, whew. . .just in the nick of time for the second one huh? It turned out quite nice!

Good job Penny. Both of your necklaces are beautiful. I like the turquoise with the oink and plum. Good color choice. I really like you crocheted necklace.I just tried seed bead crochet for a challenge I am in. I did not like the result so I took it apart. I think the problem was the cord I used. I will try it again but right now I have several challenge pieces to get done so it will have to wait.

Wow what a fun and colorful soup u had to work with. Wow Penny you made your partner ver proud with the the stunning designs. Ty so very much for sharing it all with us . My grand daughter told me to tell u the first necklace is her favorite.....she is a hoot....bye for now gotta get these tired legs to hopping

I love the tassel and the other focal with that copper leaf. It really accentuates the leaf. Great design. And nice job with the heart. It turned out very dainty, feminine and light looking. Wonderful.

pink, plum and TURQUOISE! Whoever would have thought it would be such a vibrant beautiful combination? I am psyched and If I had some plum beads, I would be in my stashie looking for inspiration. That's what I have enjoyed most about this hop, seeing things and going OMG, how cool are those colors? Why do I not ever use them? Beautiful pieces, both of them.

The necklace with the copper leaf is beautiful - the strung beads and spacers make it look light and adding the tassel and connector to the focal part is just right! I like the crocheted necklace, too - I am planning to make one when I master crocheting with thread :)